Thousands of people are set to descend on Baldersby Park, Topcliffe, later this month for one of the country's top-rated family-oriented summer festivals, Deer Shed.

Set in 200 acres of undulating pastures and parkland once owned by Victorian "Railway King" George Hudson, the three-day event, from Friday, July 28 to Sunday, July 30, seeks to delight both children and adults.

Billed as "a wonderland of creativity", the 13th incarnation of the festival will feature an eclectic mix of entertainments, ranging from snooker legend Steve Davis performing a DJ set, to kayaking on the River Swale, to a flat-pack furniture team challenge.

Sandwiched between performances in the Czech Republic, Womad Festival and in Central Park, New York, headliners The Comet Is Coming are set to showcase their blend of improv jazz, Afrobeat and electronica, after fellow Mercury-nominated four-piece The Big Moon.

Other eye-catching music acts among nearly 50 performing at the festival include Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes, who is returning to Deer Shed after a five-year break, and alternative art rock outfit Public Service Broadcasting.

Darlington and Stockton Times: The family-orientated Deer Shed festival takes place later this month at Baldersby Park, near

Scottish Indie rockers The Delgados, who are making their comeback after splitting in 2005, will close the festival.

As is usual for Deer Shed, the comedy line-up has strength in depth, including Phil Wang, who has appeared on pretty much every TV panel show, Phoenix Nights actor Justin Moorhouse, Taskmaster veterans Bridget Christie and Mawaan Rizwan, and Spencer Jones from David Mitchell’s Upstart Crow.

For those wanting a break from the festival's several stages, there will be a spectrum of activities in the Science Tent, including a laser maze in which festival-goers will be challenged to contort their bodies to avoid breaking the beams to reach an enormous diamond sitting on the red velvet cushion.

Alongside a dizzying array of children's arts and crafts activities, this year's festival will see its first theatre in residence with Stand & Be Counted, which is committed to making work with and for people seeking sanctuary, such as refugees and asylum seekers.

For details, visit deershedfestival.com.